Black&White narrative
by HikazePrincess
Summary: In the world of angels and demons, two contradictory beings form an unlikely alliance in their desire to correct themselves. Employed by a dead treasure hunter, they are sent to find the five pieces of the Blue Garnet, a contradictory blue-red jewel that will grant any kind of wish to whoever collects all the pieces. What will they wish for? Will they ever be corrected?
1. The Unwanted Guys

Dialogue is based upon subtitle translated by Yijing302 and Eldoow of LiveJournal. All rights thereof belong to them.

Culture notes and translation explainations, also courtesy of Yijing and Eldoow, will be featured in the description.

* * *

Why is the world divided into two parts? Male and female . . . day and night . . . dreams and reality . . . lies and truth . . .

Why is the world divided into two parts? Strength and weakness . . . enemies and allies . . . life and death . . .

Angels and demons . . .

White and black . . .

Why is the world divided into two parts?

In the world, there were two groups: angels and demons. Angels were white and pure. Demons were black and belligerent. This was the norm. Yet within these groups, there were two contradictions.

Kuro . . . the angel who was born black . . .

And Shiro . . . the demon who was born white . . .

* * *

_Let us go with pure white feelings. Bearing a totally white heart. Wearing all white clothes. Using white words. Making the world beautiful, all white. This is, for us angels, our duty. White is the color of truth. White is, for us angels, our color._

The angel's leader turned to the group. "So, for today's angel work, let's deliver angelic messages for those in trouble."

* * *

_We will, with cruelty and without pity, make the world our demon capital. Our beautiful, wicked, black world will strike over that peaceful white world._

"Today's training will be blackmail!" the demon leader barked to his underlings, "Right now, you are kidnappers. You kidnapped some little kids around here. You then punished them and passed on your call." A phone was brought before them and the training began.

One demon eagerly rushed to be the first one. "We kidnapped your kid!" he jeered into the phone. His comrades roared with excitement.

A second demon grabbed the phone. "We kidnapped your kid!" he taunted.

Now it was Shiro's turn. The white demon nervously picked up the phone. "We're keeping your child . . ." he mumbled into the phone's receiver. "With feeling!" the leader ordered, "Do it again!" Shiro fumbled with the phone. "We're keeping your child, you bastard . . ." he muttered meekly. His fellow demons heckled him and continued with their training.

* * *

In the angel's world, they were also in training.

"Now, we have a little girl who accidentally hit her leg against a wardrobe." The leader addressed his subordinates. "Because she couldn't take the pain and is feeling irritable right now, let's send a message to that girl from the angels." The angels lined up for practice.

"I will gladly help you endure your pain," the first one said.

"You have to endure that pain," said the second one.

"Go see a bone doctor."

"Let's take calcium."

"I'll take everything."

"It can't be helped!" Kuro's gravely voice blurted out, causing the angels to gasp as his abruptness.

* * *

"So, that's the second call," the demon leader announced, "Proceed with the ransom." The demons raced to the phone once again.

"¥50,000,000 in cash, hurry and give it now!" they all demanded when their turn came.

Soon it was Shiro's turn again, and this "call" did not go any better for him. "¥50,000 in cash, when you'll be prepared . . . please come . . ." "Higher!" the leader ordered. ""¥50,000 in cash, when you'll be prepared, please come!" Shiro repeated, at a much higher octave. "I'm not talking about vocal work," the leader said with a slight frustration, "Don't show any weakness on your face!"

* * *

"Here's the next one," the angel leader continued, "Here is a man sentenced to die in three months. He still has some things to do and is drowning in depression. Give him a message from the angels."

"Hurry and just die!" Kuro snapped, resulting in another collective gasp from his fellow angels.

* * *

"We'll start now with a little skit for everyone." The demons stopped practicing ransom calls and gathered around their leader.

"This time, I'll have you all learn a human's rotten side." He pointed to each demon in turn. "You, you're the host. You're the infatuated office lady. You're the hostess in love with the host. And you three are Host number 3, 4, and 5." He turned to the last demon and said, "You are that thing used to contain ice. Begin!"

"Today is actually the 283rd day before my birthday," the host declared. "And because it is such a day . . ."

"And because it is such a day~!" the hosts chorused, "1, 2, 3, 4! Happy! Happy! Happy commemoration! 283rd day~!"

"Is it really okay?" he asked the office lady. "Is it~!" she chimed happily. "Once the club has closed down," the host continued, "let's go eat something." "Really?" the office lady perked up, "Is it really okay?"

* * *

The demons' skit gradually became more rotten and sordid, while the angels performed a similar skit of their own. When their skit ended, the angel leader turned to the group. "All right, everyone. This is my question for all of you to think about. Among us all, who is the culprit?"

"The hostess Ageha~!" one of the angels chimed in. "Too bad," the leader replied, "This person was already proposed to and just wanted to get out of this world."

"Then it's this person not talking." The angel indicated Kuro crouched in the back. "That person has a scary look on his face!" "Sorry, his face is just scary, that's all." Kuro was indeed scowling as he frequently did.

"Then it's the host! Those kind of people make bad things happen!"

"As stated, first-rate people like him are able to make girls cry. That is an indisputable fact. This time, he didn't do anything though. Too bad."

"All of them are at fault!" Kuro shouted, "They're all bad. That's why those things keep occurring!" "Please don't use such a way to speak," the leader insisted but Kuro continued.

"'That is not my fault', 'This is not my fault,' 'It's because things are like this.' It's because people push everything onto others. Push the faults onto others. That's why this is endless! No one's fault? Wrong. Everyone is at fault. Everyone is like demons."

"Correct!" the leader piped up. "We should only hate the sin on its own. The sinner is . . . that thing used to contain ice! Not anyone else~. It's because it was here that such a thing happened. If it was a wine glass, it would have just been painful." "Were you listening to what I was saying?" Kuro asked. This was frequently the case and it pissed him off to no end.

The leader seemed to ignore Kuro. "We must look at the long-term. We must believe and leave it to fate. We must believe that, in the end, good will purify evil. Although, evil is stronger than good by a little bit. But that is only for a little while. Sooner or later, good will purify evil. We must believe that everyone's hearts are pure. We need to wait for the peaceful days to arrive." "Listen!" Kuro demanded, but the others carried on as if he had said nothing. Eventually they left, leaving Kuro in his frustration.

"It's always like that!" he raved, "This bunch of hypocrites. Because I am black, because I'm not like the angels. And what is this 'In the end, good will purify evil' crap? Stop fooling around. All of you . . . should just die already!"

* * *

Meanwhile in the demon world . . .

"Now then, break time's over!" the leader boomed. "Today, we are going to attempt sucking souls from people. You will use these dolls to try." Human-sized dolls were brought out and the demons crowded around them.

"First, hit the people on the back of their heads. Then, hit them from the front." The demons eagerly complied. All except for Shiro. He seemed rather hesitant and uncertain with his doll. "After you have defeated them, pull their right arms up and take out the white piece of plastic. That is a soul's soft shell. Quickly blow air into it. That is the soul. This is what they mean by sucking souls. The more tragic the person, the greater the soul glows."

He then noticed Shiro at the end of the row. "What are you doing?" "I can't do it," Shiro feebly protested. This always confused and frustrated the leader. "I don't get you," he said, "You're not listening to my orders? Today, just for weak people of your kind, I prepared something." A little boy and his mother were brought before the demons. "Let's see which soul will glow brighter. Between the mother and son, whose soul will glow brighter from sorrow?" "No, I can't do this!" Shiro insisted. "You coward!" the leader stepped forward and took the child's soul himself. He then turned and took the mother's as well. "The soul of a mother who has lost her son . . . is most beautiful." The other demons mocked Shiro's uselessness for being unable to do something so simple.

"You're a coward!" the leader chastised, "Nothing but an eyesore. You are nothing but someone who messes up this world's balance of darkness. This world doesn't need mistakes!" He then pointed out the serial number on Shiro's back. All demons had one, but Shiro's number was quite specific. "In this beautiful world of darkness exists this 18782. Unwanted guy*!" He led the others away, who continued to jeer at Shiro. Shiro said nothing as he endured the taunts, but it was clear that he was indeed hurt.

"I . . . am a coward . . ." he admitted to himself, "But . . . I'm not a mistake in this world! I also . . . I also didn't want to be born as white. I am . . . an unwanted guy? Am I disappointing? Unwanted guy . . ." Just then he spotted a bag on the floor, left behind by the child used in that day's training. Shiro opened the bag and pulled out a video tape. "What is this? Probably something someone has dropped." But no one was around. "What should I do? Watch it? But what if it's porn? What if it's a cursed video? The people who watch it will all . . . I already heard that from some movie. What should I do?" Sure enough, he decided to watch it. He found a TV and stuck the tape in.

A man with a rather large afro and thick-rimmed glasses appeared on the screen. "Hi~! You, person watching this video! You aren't alone anymore! Firstly, let's do some 'Friend Exercises'~!" "Friend exercises?" Shiro was quite confused by this man's cheerful nature. The man, now joined by two friends, suddenly broke out into a very child-like song:

_Friends, friends  
Let's make friends  
If you're a comrade,  
then I'm a buddy_

Let's share our pain in half, in half  
Let's multiply our joy

Friends, friends  
Let's make friends  
If I'm a comrade,  
then you're a buddy

Let's share our pain in half, in half  
Let's multiply our joy

"Friends? What are those?" Living in the world of demons, Shiro had never heard such a pleasant-sounding term before. "Today is Lesson #38," said the man in the video, "Do you still remember what advice I gave you all last time? Come on, let's try to remember. You over there! What are the three rules to making a friend?" Even when Shiro didn't answer, he responded with praise (what else can you expect from a video tape?). "Well done! Now let's start practicing making friends. Lesson 38: How should you ask back the DVD you lent to your friend?" He indicated one of his friends. "You will be this friend. Please follow his performance." And the two friends began a scenario.

"Yo, what's up!" the first one shouted. "F-fine," the other mumbled. His partner rambled on, "Did you see the latest anime? Ah, it was the best~!" "That's mine . . ." "You say something?" No . . ." The scene paused and the sensei stepped in. "Right~ This won't do. If you were him, what would you do?" "I wouldn't let him . . ." Shiro began. "Yes, that's the way!" the sensei chimed, "Muster your courage and tell your friend! You shouldn't keep things from your friends. Then, let's try this again." Thus, the scene resumed.

"Did you see the latest anime? Ah, it was the best~!" "Give it back!" "Add a bit more courage over here!" the sensei encouraged. "That video was what I bought and lent to you," the friend said in a rushed voice, "I haven't even watched it! How could I have?!" His comrade at first seemed indifferent to him. "Sorry about that~ I'll return it to you as soon as possible. Someone who refuses to say what he is thinking sure is annoying, right? Because he always talks behind other's backs. But people who say what they think are pretty good, right? I don't know why, but I feel that we will be good friends." "Great~!"

The sensei returned. "That's right. That's how friends are made. The morale of Lesson 38: Giving in to your friends isn't the right way to go." "Giving in to your friends isn't the right way to go!" the two friends chorused. "The next situation: When you and your friend fall for the same person. We will learn what we should do in the respective situations." After a brief reprise of their cheery song, the sensei continued. "Friends are the ones who understand you. Your friend's friends are also your friends. As long as you have one friend, your world will become bright, fun, interesting, and beautiful. This is the meaning of friends." By now, Shiro was pretty excited. "Sensei! I would like to make friends, too!" The sensei and friends held up some necklaces. "Now, this magical stone necklace is for sale. With this necklace, you will be able to make friends with even more friends. It's ¥80,000 for one, ¥100,000 for two." With that, the video ended.

"Sensei, I will look for friends too!" Shiro exclaimed with a newfound enthusiasm, "I will go on a journey and find a friend!" Just then, he heard the demons looking for him. He grabbed the tape and ran.

* * *

Elsewhere, a shabbily-dressed man was staggering around. The knife in his back labeled him a dead spirit and the random assortment of items he carried labeled as a stereotypical explorer. Soon he came across Kuro, alone and seemingly immobile, whom he regarded with curiosity. He threw a pebble at Kuro. The black angel stretched, but otherwise remained motionless. "Hey!" the man shouted, "Hey, you!" Kuro simply chewed his nails. "A demon? This two-sided, slightly dirty person . . . I've never seen such a person." "Shut up," Kuro muttered. "He talked," the man noted, "You can see me?" Kuro just glared as he always did. The dead man noticed the serial number on Kuro's back. "18782 . . . unwanted guy. Even your number is demon-like." "I'm an angel!" Kuro correct, his rough voice laced with irritation.

"An angel?" the man replied with disbelief. "I see . . . you must be a useless angel, then?" "Shut up!" Kuro yelled, becoming more and more annoyed with the mystery man. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, "This is the world of angels. It's not a place that people like you can frequent."

"Me?" the man replied, "I am . . . a treasure hunter . . . even though I'm already dead." He showed off the knife in his back. "To find treasure, I'd go to the end of the earth and back again. As long as there is a place with treasure, I'll go without a doubt. That is a treasure hunter . . . even though I'm already dead." "Are you looking for treasure now?" Kuro inquired. "Exactly," said the hunter, seeming pleased that he sparked the useless angel's curiosity. "I'm looking for the . . . Blue Garnet! This 5,000-year-old map marks the five places where the jewels sleep." While the hunter rambled, Kuro listened, his interest gradually increasing.

"The Blue Garnet is a contradictory jewel. A blue-red jewel. That would mean it's one-of-a-kind. That's why it's beautiful. That's why people are attracted to it. The Blue Garnet is just like its name suggests, a blue-red jewel. A contradiction itself. It's made up of five elements: love, contradiction, repulsion, language, light. It is said that whoever can acquire this jewel will be granted one wish." "If I gather those Blue Garnets," Kuro thought aloud, "I can fulfill one wish of mine?" "Any kind of wish," the treasure hunter said with a Cheshire-like grin slowly creeping across his face. "A glowing blue-red jewel. Gazing at it causes one's eyes and heart to be stolen by that weird jewel's glow. A miracle jewel." Kuro scoffed, "Are there such things in this world?" "Indeed there are!"

The treasure hunter pulled out a piece of the jewel and held it before Kuro. As he said, the black angel's gaze became fixated on the contradictory jewel's glow. "That's the Blue Garnet?" The hunter smirked, "This is the Blue Garnet that has impressed the world." "Give it to me!" Kuro snatched the jewel from the hunter and regarded it with an almost malicious intent in his eyes. "Isn't it beautiful?" the hunter said, playing on Kuro's newfound curiosity. "The Blue Garnet is a contradictory jewel, a blue-red jewel. A one-of-a-kind. That's why it is so beautiful. It's because it's that it has captured the hearts of many. If one acquires the five jewels, he will be granted a wish." "Any kind of wish?" "Any kind of wish." He grabbed the jewel back from Kuro, but paused and his features lit up with an idea.

"Would you gather them in my place? Take the place of the dead me and search for the remaining four jewels. Allow me to be revived." Kuro's interest turned to slight skepticism. "This map states where the four jewels are, right?" He reached for the map, but the treasure hunter scurried out of range. "I will tell you the places, you will collect them," he stated stubbornly. "For a demon-angel like you, it will surely be an easy task. And when I have been revived, I will transform you into a white angel." Kuro perked up at the hunter's offer. "Transform me into a white angel?" The hunter had clearly found his bargaining piece.

"I know how to transform you into one. I know, surely you're thinking 'Wouldn't wishing to the jewels be easier?' But if that's the case, I won't benefit. I know you want to know how to transform into a white angel. But I will only tell you how to become white when you have gathered those Blue Garnets. I will also keep the map, so you don't have any choice." Kuro puzzled over the hunter's ultimatum. "I only need to collect those jewels, right?" The treasure hunter grinned. He had gotten through. "Our contract is formed, then."

"I only need to find the remaining four Blue Garnets?"

"You will then become . . . a true angel . . ."

* * *

**Translation notes:**

"Unwanted guy" ("_iya na yatsu_") is the aliterative pronunciation of 18782 (_ichi-hachi-nana-hachi-ni_)


	2. Meeting and the World of Contradiction

"Trouble! Number 18782 has disappeared!"

"That thing shouldn't exist in the angel world! Never before have such wandered existed!"

"The only dark spot that exists in this pure, white world. This is bad!"

Kuro found himself being pursued by his fellow angels. His desire for a free wish and to get away from the angels' sickening hypocrisy fueled his resistance when they cornered him.

Similarly, Shiro was running from the demons, who also wanted to keep their world's abomination from escaping.

While Shiro simply ran, Kuro put up a fight. The angels, while contradicting their pure, peaceful nature, fought back. In the ensuing scuffle, an angel's blade pierced Kuro's skin. He staggered as pain seared through his arm, but still managed to evade capture.

As he ran, he bumped into someone. Kuro wasn't an easy person to scare but in his slightly panicked state, anything was liable to rattle his cage a bit. What was that? A flash of white? An angel? The person bolted and hid among some bushes. _Why would an angel hide from me?_ Kuro wondered. Another angel would surely recognize him as one of their own, even as contradictory as he was. Kuro chanced another look. The person didn't look anything like an angel. And yet he was wearing white. "You . . . white person over there . . ." The person still cowered. "You white person over there! Why in the world are you following me?" Shiro emerged. "I wasn't!" he protested feebilly. "You must be the ally of those angels, aren't you?" Kuro sneered, regarding Shiro's white clothes. "That's not it! I am a demon, though it doesn't look so."

Kuro stared in disbelief. How could there be such thing as a white demon? "A demon? You? With that look?" "Yes," Shiro relented, "I'm definitely a demon." To prove himself, he emitted a pathetic growl, but Kuro was not one to frighten easily. Especially not by scaredy-cat in white who claimed to be a demon. What were the odds that he'd run into someone as contradictory as himself? And how was it that two such beings existed? _Maybe I'm not alone after all_. The thought chimed in the far reaches of Kuro's mind, but was soon chased out by a strong wave of pain from his wound. Exhausted and overwhelmed, Kuro sat and closed his eyes against the pain, as if hoping that would make it hurt less. "Um . . . is your arm all right?" Shiro inquired apprehensively. Kuro remained silent. "Is your arm all right?" Shiro repeated, practically shouting this time. "I heard you . . ." Kuro answered, becoming slightly annoyed. "Sorry!" "Why is a demon apologizing?" "Sor—" Shiro caught himself. Kuro rose and began walking, with Shiro following almost hesitantly. Did this guy want something from him? Kuro couldn't be bothered with such trivial thoughts. Finding the pieces of the Blue Garnet was his only hope at becoming what the hypocrite angels called "normal." Suddenly, Kuro stopped and turned and sure enough, the so-called demon was still there behind him. Shiro quickly backed away, afraid of tripping the black angel's short temper.

"Which side is West?" Kuro demanded. Shiro looked up, rather surprised that Kuro hadn't yelled at him or told him to leave. And yet he was also surprised that Kuro had stopped to ask him about directions. "West?" he echoed in an almost whisper, "West should opposite East." "So, which side is east?" "East should be opposite West," the white demon replied cheerfully, quite pleased at coming up with such a clever reply. Kuro gave a very small half-smile that, to Shiro, looked more like a sneer. He had to admit, the kid had pluck. And a rather nice smile. Shiro watched Kuro walk away, but at that moment, a thought came into his childlike mind. And that thought was no doubt the result of his newfound goal.

"Friend!" Kuro cocked his head at this strange word and eyed the white demon with confusion. "Friend! Let's become friends!" Shiro cheered. Kuro didn't know what to make of him. What nonsense was this fool spewing? "I'm busy now," he said, trying to leave. "When? When will it be okay?" Clearly getting rid of this guy wasn't going to be easy. "In a thousand years!" Kuro retorted, hoping Shiro was naïve enough to take his words seriously. Anything to get rid of this nuisance. "A thousand years? Great! Wait. A thousand years is too long! No, I want to be your friend right now!" He tugged on Kuro's arm until the black angel howled in pain. "I have no interest!" he insisted, losing control on his temper. "It's a waste of time." "It is not!" Shiro, desperate to get through to Kuro, began singing:

_Friends, friends  
Let's make friends  
If you are a comrade,  
I am a buddy_

Let's share of pain in half, in half  
Let's multiply our joy

Kuro clamped his hands to his ears as the tune resonated through his head. The disgustingly cheerful song did nothing to ease his discomfort. "I have no time to waste with idiots like you!" "Wait!" Shiro tugged his arm again, resulting in another pain-filled scream. "Don't touch me there!" Kuro yelled. As he fell to his knees, gritting his teeth against the now-blinding pain, Shiro noticed the black angel's serial number. "Your number . . . 18782 . . . the same as mine!" "So what if it is?" Kuro hadn't noticed the white demon's number nor did he care to. What difference did it make that their numbers happened to be the same? Surely, it didn't mean anything. Kuro almost hated to acknowledge that he now had something else in common with Shiro aside from contradiction. "What was it? Fa . . . fa . . ." Shiro stumbled as if trying to remember something. "Fate!" he blurted out suddenly. "Coincidence," Kuro rebutted. "Fate" "Coincidence!"

"I always hated this number." Shiro confessed, "18782 . . . unwanted guy. Unwanted guy! In the demon world, I'm always a hindrance. I can't do anything properly. I don't even know why I'm a demon. An unwanted guy in the world of demons. I'm that guy. Being able to meet an unwanted guy like me, how can this be a coincidence?" "It is a coincidence!" Still, it did surprise Kuro that the white demon hated his number as much as he hated his own. But whatever this idiot was selling, he wanted none of it. "I'm looking for friends now!" Shiro pressed on, "What are you looking for?"

Just then, Shiro froze. For that matter, so did everything else. "The angel born in the demon world." Kuro then spotted the treasure hunter, who seemed to be enjoying the spectacle. "Relax," the hunter said, "Only you can see me since I'm already dead." He pulled out his tattered map and held it up for Kuro to see. "The second Blue Garnet is up ahead. Can't you hurry up? And don't take that injury on your arm as a laughing matter." "Only I can see you?" Kuro asked. The hunter seemed to be more and more complex. "It's because we are bound by a contract. And that is you finding the jewels for me. I will then help you change yourself. I don't mind you playing friend-finding games with this useless friend of yours, but please hurry up with the search!"

Friend-finding games? The hunter must've been truly mad. The last thing Kuro needed was someone slowing him down in his search. Yet somewhere in the back of his mind, a little voice chimed, "_But it would be nice having someone to talk to_." Kuro shock his head to rid himself of the thought. Time resumed moving and Shiro noticed Kuro walking away. "Wait! Don't leave me alone!" Once the two were out of sight, the treasure hunter pulled out the single jewel he possessed.

"The Blue Garnet is a contradictory jewel. A blue-red jewel. One of a kind. That's why it is so beautiful. That's why its power mesmerizes people. The Blue Garnet is just as its name says: a blue-red jewel. A contradictory jewel. If one can acquire them all, the whole world will be at his control. The ones remaining, the four elements . . . contradiction, repulsion, language, light. Once I have gathered them together, your magnificent powers will be shown in front of me!"

* * *

In the world of contradiction resided three men. Were they men? Or were they women? Actually, they were okama* dressed as roses. The okama roses. They were the keepers of contradiction. Their motto was ""Truth is in the heart, not the appearance. There is nothing we are afraid of."

"Today, I thought of a really special dance," the Red Rose announced. "Wonderful~! Show us~!" his companions cheered. "The theme is . . . a certain okama hitman . . .while watching the sunset . . . was thinking about what to make for dinner! 5, 6, 7, 8!" The pink and purple roses counted the beat as their comrade danced. "Miso mackerel!" Red Rose declared once his dance ended. The others cheered gleefully.

"Next is my turn!" Purple Rose chimed. "My theme is . . . the moment when a certain okama who wanted to drink tea . . . accidentally drank beer~! 5, 6, 7, 8!" The beat was counted and he danced. When he finished, his friends greatly praised his performance. "You certainly have improved a lot," Red Rose noted with a sly grin.

"Next is me," Pink Rose stepped up. "My theme is . . . bonito flakes on okonomiyaki. 5, 6, 7, 8!" Needless to say, his dance was less impressive than the others.

They all stirred at a sudden noise. "Someone's coming!" They scurried to hide. Sure enough, Kuro and Shiro arrived. By this point, Kuro was more than a little annoyed with Shiro. The white demon hadn't given up his desire for friendship and refused to leave.

"Don't follow me." Kuro growled.

"Don't follow me~" Shiro repeated.

"Don't copy whatever I say."

"Don't copy whatever I say~"

"Damn you!"

"Damn you~! Don't ignore me!"

This kid just can't take a hint, Kuro thought. "I have no time to play with idiots like you!" "Don't call me an idiot!" Shiro whined. "Only idiots get angry when being called one." "Then I won't get angry."

"Idiot . . ."

"I'm an idiot~"

"Stupid kid . . ."

"I'm stupid~"

Fed up with the white demon's cockamamie banter, Kuro sat down. As he expected, Shiro did the same. Suddenly, their seat moved. They were sitting on the okama! "What the heck?!" Shiro exclaimed. "I should be asking you instead!" Red Rose snapped. "What are you guys?" Kuro demanded. "Ah, saying scary stuff~ Whatever, let's just introduce ourselves~!"

"We are the okama roses~"

"The keepers of contradiction~"

"Trust is in the heart, not the appearance~"

"Indeed, we are the O!" "KA!" "MA!"

"There is nothing we are afraid of!"

"The keepers of contradiction?" Shiro wondered aloud. "That's right!" Red Rose confidently stated. "Since there's an outside, there's an inside. That's what truth is. That's why we are the okama of truth." While bewildered by their sense of logic, Kuro remembered his mission. "I'm looking for the Blue Garnet." he said. "That red-blue contradictory jewel." The okama gasped in comprehension.

"Blue Garnet?" Red Rose pondered, "Could he be referring to the okama jewel?" "The okama jewel is a contradictory jewel," Purple Rose concurred, "A glowing blue-red jewel." "That's why it's said there are two sides to truth," Pink Rose added, "Everything will have an opposite side." "That's why in this world, there aren't only men and women. There are okama as well~! Even if it's contradictory, it's fine."

"Even if two opposite sides co-exist, it's fine."

"This is what is meant by the world."

"This is what the okama jewel has taught us~!" Red Rose bowed to reveal the Blue Garnet of contradiction on his head.

"We want that!" Shiro shouted excitedly, "That's what we were looking for." Kuro lunged for the jewel, but the okama brushed him away. "Looks like these two kids are gathering the okama jewels," Pink Rose noted. The three okama huddled together and quickly discussed.

"If we allow you to bring this to the world outside," Red Rose asked, "will you spread the theory of us okama roses? It doesn't sound bad." "But~" Pink Rose interrupted, "we cannot just give it to them for free." "The both of you black and white guys . . . will use dancing to move us." "We will give you themes!" Purple Rose pointed to Shiro. "You, white guy! Let me give you a theme! The theme is . . . a certain okama . . . wanted to eat a donut . . . but mistook it for a tire and ate it." "5, 6, 7, 8!"

Rather than dance, Shiro merely acted out the theme: "Ahhhh~ about time to eat a donut~! Are donuts really that big? Wait . . . it's a tire!" The okama were not impressed.

"No, no! This won't do!" complained the Red Rose, "Use dance to show it! If you don't, we won't hand over the okama jewel!" "Black guy, come here!" Pink Rose pointed to Kuro who had been crouched off to the side, "Your theme is . . . thought it was an orangutan . . . but it turned out to be human." "5, 6, 7, 8!"

Unlike Shiro, Kuro actually captured the essence of orangutan's movements but soon straightened to show that he was indeed human. The black angel danced with surprising grace and smooth, fluid movements. Clearly his slouched posture and animal-like behavior were very deceiving. Nonetheless, the okama were impressed with his dancing.

"Not bad~!" Red Rose remarked, "Now let's give both of you a good theme." "That's enough!" Kuro insisted. They had each danced separately. Why did they need to do one together? "Oh? Do you not want the jewel? Right, then. The theme is . . . T-shirts . . . while in the washing machine . . . stained the other clothes." "5, 6, 7, 8!"

Kuro and Shiro danced. Kuro's dance represented the dizzying whirl of the washing machine, while Shiro seemed to be the clothes in the machine being blended with each other. Hardly perfect sync, but it was enough to satisfy the okama.

"One more to go!" Red Rose declared ecstatically, "Let's give you both another theme. The theme is . . . the TV electricity . . . accidentally ran onto the floor!" "5, 6, 7, 8!"

Another amateur yet impressive display thrilled the okama immensely.

"Well done! Well done! We too want to dance now!" Red Rose chimed, "White guy, pick a theme." Shiro quickly thought of a good theme. "Okay, here! The theme is . . . already walked for an hour . . . found out afterwards . . . that I was not wearing clothes!" The okama squealed in excitement. "5, 6, 7, 8!"

Needless to say, the entire ensemble was quite an interesting performance. Whether excited at dancing to such an interesting theme or dancing with Kuro and Shiro was difficult to determine. The okama were clearly overwhelmed with joy.

"That was nice~!" Red Rose said, bowing again to reveal the jewel, "Take it~!" Kuro eagerly grabbed the jewel, eyeing the mysterious glow with avid fascination. He was now one step closer to getting his wish. He and Shiro left the okama, but their troubles were far from over.

* * *

**Translation notes:**

*_Okama_ are gay men or drag queen. So in this context, they're both men and women.


End file.
